While internationalization in higher education (IHE) is globally pursued, its underlying principles remain anchored in Euro-American epistemologies, often reducing Global South participation to peripheral alignment rather than meaningful collaboration. Introducing the Southern Epistemic Justice Framework (SEJF), a multidimensional model serves as both a normative lens and empirical evaluative tool to reconceptualize IHE through the principles of inclusivity, plurality, and reciprocity. Drawing on decolonial theory, sociology of education and curriculum studies, it proposes a triadic justice approach to assess internationalization policies across ten Global South countries: India, Brazil, China, South Africa, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, Thailand, Egypt, and Vietnam. The SEJF Index is developed using panel data (2015–2023) validated through Pearson correlation analysis and variance inflation factor (VIF) testing across nine sub-indicators capturing structural efforts toward equitable internationalization. The mobility analysis uncovers diverse trajectories, revealing that reciprocity is the most decisive factor in justice-oriented reforms. Despite growing engagement, structural transformation remains uneven. This paper contributes a transferable framework for comparative benchmarking and equity-based policy design in IHE. It urges a shift from prestige-centric models to pluriversal, justice-driven internationalization inviting policymakers and institutions to view IHE not merely as global branding, but as a pursuit of epistemic justice and inclusive development. © 2025 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.